Efficacy of biorational insecticides against chilli thrips,Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), infesting roses under nursery conditions

We evaluated biopesticides based on entomopathogenic fungi, azadirachtin and horticultural oils for the management of the chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, an economically significant invasive pest in the United States. Insecticides were applied four times at 7‐ to 10‐day intervals against established S. dorsalis infestations on shrub roses KnockOut^®, Rosa x ‘Radrazz’ under simulated nursery conditions. When applied as stand‐alone treatments, Beauveria bassiana GHA (BotaniGard^® ES), Metarhizium brunneum F52 (Met‐52 EC), a horticultural oil (SuffOil‐X^®) and azadirachtin (Molt‐X^®) at label rates provided significant control, reducing populations of S. dorsalis by 48–71% compared with control over 4–6 weeks. Similar results were observed when the biopesticides were applied in rotation with each other. A conventional standard, spinosad (Conserve^® SC), was consistently the most effective treatment in these studies, reducing thrips populations by >95% overall. In another study, more effective control (87%–92%) was achieved in biopesticide rotation programmes that included spinosad, when compared with those that did not. Results also showed that these biopesticides can be tank‐mixed. However, there was no evidence that B. bassiana or M. brunneum combined with azadirachtin resulted in additive or synergistic control, as neither tank‐mix treatment improved control compared with azadirachtin alone. These findings highlight the potential use of biopesticides in rotation programmes with conventional insecticides to manage S. dorsalis on roses. Biopesticides evaluated in this study can be incorporated into an IPM programme for roses.     

Biological control of the Eucalyptus bronze bug Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) in Argentina: release and recovery of the introduced egg parasitoid Cleruchoides noackae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae)

BioControl - In Argentina, a classical biological control program for the Eucalyptus bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Carpintero & Dellapé), with the egg parasitoid Cleruchoides...     

Ovicidal effects of entomopathogenic fungal isolates on the invasive Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Maize is a major staple food for over 300 million people in sub‐Saharan Africa. Sustainable productivity of this primary crop has been recently threatened by Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda invasion. Due to lack of environmentally safe management strategies, immediate responses by growers and governments to tackle FAW are based on rampant use of pesticides. Looking for efficient biopesticides, twenty entomopathogenic fungal isolates (14 Metarhizium anisopliae and 6 Beauveria bassiana) were screened for their efficacy against eggs and second instar larvae of FAW. A single discriminating concentration of 1 × 10⁸ conidia ml^?1 and four replicates per treatment were used in all experiments. Isolates were assessed for their ability to cause mortality of FAW second instar larvae, eggs and the neonate larvae that emerged from treated eggs. Among the isolates tested, only B. bassiana ICIPE 676 caused moderate mortality of 30% to second instar larvae. Metarhizium anisopliae ICIPE 78, ICIPE 40 and ICIPE 20 caused egg mortalities of 87.0%, 83.0% and 79.5%, respectively, and M. anisopliae ICIPE 41 and ICIPE 7 outperformed all the others by causing 96.5% and 93.7% mortality to the neonate larvae, respectively. The cumulated mortality of eggs and neonates was highest with M. anisopliae ICIPE 41 (97.5%), followed by M. anisopliae ICIPE 7, 655, 40, 20 and 78 with total mortality of 96.0%, 95.0%, 93.5%, 93.0% and 92.0%, respectively. These isolates with high cumulated mortality (≥92%), especially ICIPE 78 and 7, which are already commercialized for spider mites and ticks control respectively, would be good candidates for development as biopesticides for management of FAW in Africa if further evidence of their efficacy is obtained in the field.     

Flood pulses drive the temporal dynamics of assemblages of aquatic insects (Heteroptera and Coleoptera) in a temperate floodplain

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Structure of the female reproductive system of the lac insect,Kerria chinensis (Sternorrhyncha,Coccoidea: Kerridae)

The ovaries of female lac insects, Kerria chinensis Mahd (Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Kerridae), at the last nymphal stage are composed of several balloon‐like clusters of cystocytes with different sizes. Each cluster consists of several clusters of cystocytes arranging in rosette forms. At the adult stage, the pair of ovaries consists of about 600 ovarioles of the telotrophic‐meroistic type. An unusual feature when considering most scale insects is that the lateral oviducts are highly branched, each with a number of short ovarioles. Each ovariole is subdivided into an anterior trophic chamber (tropharium) containing six or seven large trophocytes and a posterior vitellarium harbouring one oocyte which is connected with the trophic chamber via a nutritive cord. No terminal filament is present. Late‐stage adult females show synchronized development of the ovarioles, while in undernourished females, a small proportion of ovarioles proceed to maturity.     

Snake evolution in Melanesia: origin of the Hydrophiinae (Serpentes,Elapidae), and the evolutionary history of the enigmatic New Guinean elapid Toxicocalamus

The venomous snake subfamily Hydrophiinae includes more than 40 genera and approximately 200 species. Most members of this clade inhabit Australia, and have been well studied. But, because of poor taxon sampling of Melanesian taxa, basal evolutionary relationships have remained poorly resolved. The Melanesian genera Ogmodon, Loveridgelaps, and Salomonelaps have not been included in recent phylogenetic studies, and the New Guinean endemic, Toxicocalamus, has been poorly sampled and sometimes recovered as polyphyletic. We generated a multilocus phylogeny for the subfamily using three mitochondrial and four nuclear loci so as to investigate relationships among the basal hydrophiine genera and to determine the status of Toxicocalamus. We sequenced these loci for eight of the 12 described species within Toxicocalamus, representing the largest molecular data set for this genus. We found that a system of offshore island arcs in Melanesia was the centre of origin for terrestrial species of Hydrophiinae, and we recovered Toxicocalamus as monophyletic. Toxicocalamus demonstrates high genetic and morphological diversity, but some of the molecular diversity is not accompanied by diagnostic morphological change. We document at least five undescribed species that all key morphologically to Toxicocalamus loriae (Boulenger, 1898), rendering this species polyphyletic. Continued work on Toxicocalamus is needed to document the diversity of this genus, and is likely to result in the discovery of additional species. Our increased taxon sampling allowed us to better understand the evolution and biogeography of Hydrophiinae; however, several unsampled lineages remain, the later study of which may be used to test our biogeographic hypothesis.     

Host plant volatiles responsible for the invasion of Stenotus rubrovittatus (Heteroptera: Miridae) into paddy fields

We investigated the attractiveness of synthetic volatile blends or individual volatiles of flowering rice panicles or flowering Scirpus juncoides spikelets to the sorghum plant bug Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura). None of the individual chemicals tested attracted either sex of the bug. Synthetic volatile blends of flowering rice panicles composed of geranyl acetone, β‐caryophyllene, n‐decanal, methyl salicylate, β‐elemene and n‐tridecene attracted females. The synthetic blend of volatiles was just as attractive as natural flowering rice panicles to females. Other synthetic blends did not attract the bug. We sampled headspace volatiles from flowering S. juncoides spikelets with solid‐phase microextraction and analysed them using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The main volatile emitted from S. juncoides was β‐caryophyllene, one of the major volatile components of flowering rice panicles. β‐Elemene was a common volatile found in flowering rice panicles and flowering S. juncoides spikelets. Therefore, we investigated the attractiveness of synthetic blends of flowering rice panicles and S. juncoides spikelets composed of β‐caryophyllene and β‐elemene. The synthetic blend of flowering S. juncoides spikelets significantly attracted males but not females. The synthetic blend of flowering rice panicles composed of β‐caryophyllene and β‐elemene did not attract either sex. These results suggest that β‐caryophyllene and β‐elemene are common active compounds responsible for attractiveness of flowering rice panicles and S. juncoides spikelets although some of the other volatile components act synergistically with these two compounds in natural plant odours.     

Identification of female sex pheromone of a plant bug,Adelphocoris fasciaticollis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae)

The plant bug, Adelphocoris fasciaticollis, has begun to resurge and become a key pest for cotton and alfalfa in northern China, along with the widespread cultivation of Bt cotton. To control this plant bug without pesticides, we attempted to develop a new approach by utilizing sex pheromone. The sex pheromone components from the whole‐body extracts were analysed by GC‐MS and gas chromatography–electroantennogram detector analysis (GC‐EAD). (E)‐4‐Oxo‐2‐hexenal and hexyl butyrate, identified as the major components in the extracts of female bugs, elicited strong EAD responses. Field tests indicated that either (E)‐4‐oxo‐2‐hexenal or hexyl butyrate attracted few A. fasciaticollis males and was significantly less active than virgin females and the binary blend. Their ratio was optimized to be 1 : 11. Our results could expand acknowledge of the pheromone of mirids and provide novel approaches to monitor and control this plant bug without pesticides.     

First record of the invasive woodwasp,Urocerus albicornis (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), from a local forest in Japan

The woodwasp Urocerus albicornis (Fabricius, 1781) (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) is a forest pest native to North America and occasionally introduced into European countries. One of these invasive woodwasps was collected in a local forest in Nagano Prefecture, Central Japan. The collected individual was an adult female ovipositing on a log from a Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carrière). Although several of these woodwasps have been found on imported logs in Japan, this is the first record of the alien woodwasp in a local forest within Japan and Asia. This finding indicates that a population of this invasive woodwasp may be established in Japanese forests.     

Insight into the population structure of hardhead silverside,Atherinomorus stipes (Teleostei: Atherinidae), in Belize and the Florida Keys using nd2

Little is known about the natural history, biology, and population genetic structure of the Hardhead Silverside, Atherinomorus stipes, a small schooling fish found around islands throughout the Caribbean. Our field observations of A. stipes in the cays of Belize and the Florida Keys found that populations tend to be in close association with the shoreline in mangrove habitats. Due to this potential island‐based population structuring, A. stipes represents an ideal system to examine questions about gene flow and isolation by distance at different geographic scales. For this study, the mitochondrial gene nd2 was amplified from 394 individuals collected from seven different Belizean Cays (N = 175) and eight different Floridian Keys (N = 219). Results show surprisingly high haplotype diversity both within and between island‐groups, as well as a high prevalence of unique haplotypes within each island population. The results are consistent with models that require gene flow among populations as well as in situ evolution of rare haplotypes. There was no evidence for an isolation by distance model. The nd2 gene tree consists of two well‐supported monophyletic groups: a Belizean‐type clade and a Floridian‐type clade, indicating potential species‐level differentiation.     

Cryptic species of a water hyacinth biological control agent revealed in South Africa: host specificity,impact, and thermal tolerance

The discovery that cryptic species are more abundant than previously thought has implications for weed biological control, as there is a risk that cryptic species may be inadvertently released with consequences for the safety of the practice. A cryptic species of a biological control agent released for the control of the invasive alien macrophyte, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (C. Mart.) Solms. (Pontederiaceae), was recently discovered in South Africa. The two species were considered a single species prior to genetic analysis and interbreeding experiments. The original biological control agent retains the name Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) (Heteroptera: Miridae) whereas the new species has been described as Eccritotarsus eichhorniae Henry. In this study, we compared the host specificity, efficacy, and thermal physiologies of the two species. The host specificity of the two species within the Pontederiaceae was very similar and both are safe for release in South Africa. Comparison of the per capita impact of the two species indicated that E. eichhorniae was the more damaging species but this is likely to be influenced by temperature, with E. catarinensis being more effective under lower temperatures and E. eichhorniae being more effective under higher temperatures. Releasing the correct species for the thermal environment of each release site will improve the level of control of water hyacinth in South Africa. This example highlights the need to keep populations of biological control agents from different native range collection localities separate, and to screen for host specificity and efficacy.     

Biodiversity and Molecular Phylogeny of Australian Clevelandella Species (Class Armophorea,Order Clevelandellida,Family Clevelandellidae), Intestinal Endosymbiotic Ciliates in the Wood‐Feeding Roach Panesthia cribrata Saussure, 1864

There are over 100 species in the Order Clevelandellida distributed in many hosts. The majority is assigned to one of the five families, the Nyctotheridae. Our knowledge of clevelandellid genetic diversity is limited to species of Nyctotherus and Nyctotheroides. To increase our understanding of clevelandellid genetic diversity, species were isolated from intestines of the Australian wood‐feeding roach Panesthia cribrata Saussure, 1864 from August to October, 2008. Four morphospecies, similar to those reported in Java and Japan by Kidder [Parasitologica, 29 :163–205], were identified: Clevelandella constricta, Clevelandella nipponensis, Clevelandella parapanesthiae, and Clevelandella panesthiae. Small subunit rRNA gene sequences assigned all species to a “family” clade that was sister to the clade of species assigned to the Family Nyctotheridae in the Order Clevelandellida. Genetics and morphology were consistent for the first three Clevelandella species, but isolates assigned to C. panesthiae were assignable to three different genotypes, suggesting that this may be a cryptic species complex.     

Phylogeography and species delineation of the genus Phoxinus Rafinesque, 1820 (Actinopterygii: Leuciscidae) in the Iberian Peninsula

The genus Phoxinus is comprised of at least 15 currently recognized species inhabiting Eurasia. Morphological traits have been traditionally used to delineate species in Phoxinus; however, the high level of phenotypic plasticity observed in the genus has confounded this process. Molecular genetic analyses have revealed a higher than expected genetic structure within Phoxinus. Here, we analyzed both nuclear and mitochondrial molecular genetic markers to infer the phylogeography and divergence times of Phoxinus in the Iberian Peninsula. Our results show that the Iberian lineages of Phoxinus were polyphyletic. They also support the co‐existence of three species in the Iberian Peninsula, two corresponding to two previously recognized species (Phoxinus bigerri and Phoxinus septimaniae) and a third undescribed species (Phoxinus sp.). Phoxinus bigerri is structured into western Cantabrian, eastern Cantabrian, and Artibai basins. We hypothesize that this structure is a consequence of glaciation–deglaciation cycles during the Pleistocene. While the presence of P. septimaniae in the Iberian Peninsula is possibly the result of human translocation, that of Phoxinus sp. in lower Ebro rivers may be attributed to past fluvial captures. Our study represents the first report to show a relationship among Phoxinus populations from central Pyrenean rivers of Spain and France. Furthermore, we found genetic hybridization between Phoxinus sp. and P. septimaniae in the shared localities, a likely consequence of anthropogenic activities. Overall, our findings provide insight into the genetic structure of Iberian Phoxinus populations, including the presence of an undescribed species and the putative introduction of some species that may have implications for conservation.     

Effect of exposure time on mass‐rearing production of the olive fruit fly parasitoid,Psyttalia lounsburyi (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Classical biological control programmes rely on mass production of high‐quality beneficial insects for subsequent releases into the field. Psyttalia lounsburyi (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a koinobiont larval–pupal endoparasitoid of tephritid flies that is being reared to support a classical biological control programme for olive fruit fly in California. The mass‐rearing system for a P. lounsburyi colony, initiated with insects originally collected in Kenya, was evaluated with the goal of increasing production, while at the same time reducing time requirements for rearing in a quarantine facility. We tested the effect of exposure time of a factitious host Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), on parasitization, adult production, superparasitism, and sex ratio of P. lounsburyi and survival of the host. Parasitization rates were highest (31%) at 3‐ and 4‐hr exposure times, while adult production (i.e., emergence of wasp progeny) was highest (16%) at the 2‐hr exposure time. Superparasitism over the course of the study was 1.5% and did not appear to be a factor affecting parasitoid production. The sex ratio of wasp progeny was male‐biased and did not vary significantly over different exposure times. The rate of stings on host larvae increased with exposure time and was consistent with decreases in pupal eclosion from larvae and emergence rate of adult flies. When compared to current rearing procedures, the 2‐hr exposure time resulted in an overall 2.8‐fold increase in P. lounsburyi production when standardized for time.     

Phylogeny and species delineation in the marine diatom Pseudo‐nitzschia (Bacillariophyta) using cox1, LSU,and ITS2 rRNA genes: A perspective in character evolution

Analyses of the mitochondrial cox1, the nuclear‐encoded large subunit (LSU), and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) RNA coding region of Pseudo‐nitzschia revealed that the P. pseudodelicatissima complex can be phylogenetically grouped into three distinct clades (Groups I–III), while the P. delicatissima complex forms another distinct clade (Group IV) in both the LSU and ITS2 phylogenetic trees. It was elucidated that comprehensive taxon sampling (sampling of sequences), selection of appropriate target genes and outgroup, and alignment strategies influenced the phylogenetic accuracy. Based on the genetic divergence, ITS2 resulted in the most resolved trees, followed by cox1 and LSU. The morphological characters available for Pseudo‐nitzschia, although limited in number, were overall in agreement with the phylogenies when mapped onto the ITS2 tree. Information on the presence/absence of a central nodule, number of rows of poroids in each stria, and of sectors dividing the poroids mapped onto the ITS2 tree revealed the evolution of the recently diverged species. The morphologically based species complexes showed evolutionary relevance in agreement with molecular phylogeny inferred from ITS2 sequence–structure data. The data set of the hypervariable region of ITS2 improved the phylogenetic inference compared to the cox1 and LSU data sets. The taxonomic status of P. cuspidata and P. pseudodelicatissima requires further elucidation.     

Morphology and Phylogeny of the Soil Ciliate Metopus yantaiensis n. sp. (Ciliophora,Metopida), with Identification of the Intracellular Bacteria

The morphology and infraciliature of a new ciliate, Metopus yantaiensis n. sp., discovered in coastal soil of northern China, were investigated. It is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following features: nuclear apparatus situated in the preoral dome; 18–21 somatic ciliary rows, of which three extend onto the preoral dome (dome kineties); three to five distinctly elongated caudal cilia, and 21–29 adoral polykinetids. The 18S rRNA genes of this new species and two congeners, Metopus contortus and Metopus hasei, were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. The new species is more closely related to M. hasei and the clevelandellids than to other congeners; both the genus Metopus and the order Metopida are not monophyletic. In addition, the digestion‐resistant bacteria in the cytoplasm of M. yantaiensis were identified, using a 16S rRNA gene clone library, sequencing, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. The detected intracellular bacteria are affiliated with Sphingomonadales, Rhizobiales, Rickettsiales (Alphaproteobacteria), Pseudomonas (Gammaproteobacteria), Rhodocyclales (Betaproteobacteria), Clostridiales (Firmicutes), and Flavobacteriales (Bacteroidetes).     

Pace‐of‐life: Relationships among locomotor activity,life history,and circadian rhythm in the assassin bug,Amphibolus venator

The pace‐of‐life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis means that animal behavior is correlated with life history strategies. Studies have reported that the free‐running period of the circadian rhythm (length of the period) is correlated with life history strategies in some animals. Although the length of the circadian rhythm may be associated with the POLS hypothesis, few studies have investigated the relationships among animal behavior, life history traits, and circadian rhythm. We tested the POLS hypothesis in the assassin bug, Amphibolus venator, which shows individual variation in locomotor activity. We found higher repeatability of differences in locomotor activity between individuals. Moreover, we found a trade‐off between locomotor activity and developmental period such that active individuals developed faster. However, locomotor activity was not correlated with the length of the circadian rhythm in A. venator. Therefore, this study suggests that the length of the circadian rhythm in A. venator does not support the POLS hypothesis.     

Welcome back Janolidae and Antiopella: Improving the understanding of Janolidae and Madrellidae (Cladobranchia,Heterobranchia) with description of four new species

Proctonotidae and Madrellidae are families that belong to the suborder Cladobranchia. Historically, both have been the subjects of taxonomic confusion. Thus, Proctonotidae Gray, 1853, was subsequently named as Zephyrinidae Iredale and O'Donoghue, 1923 and Janolidae Pruvot‐Fol, 1933, but currently both are considered as synonyms of Proctonotidae. On the other hand, Alder and Hancock (1864) erected the genus Madrella in Proctonotidae. Here, we completed a detailed morphological and molecular study of four apparently undescribed species of Madrellidae and Proctonotidae from the Indo‐Pacific. We performed a maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenetic analyses using two mitochondrial and one nuclear genes to improve the understanding of the families. Prompted by our results, Janolidae is removed from synonymy with Proctonotidae. Within Janolidae, there are two well‐supported clades. One includes species with smooth cerata that are found in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. The taxa in this clade include the type species of Antiopella and several other species. We resurrect Antiopella as the valid name for this clade. The sister clade to Antiopella includes a variety of taxa with species that have been traditionally included in Janolus Bergh, 1884 and Bonisa Gosliner, 1981. Further systematic revision requires more comprehensive taxon sampling. The new species discovered have clear morphological differences and strong molecular support. They include Madrella amphora Pola and Gosliner sp. nov. , Janolus tricellariodes Pola and Gosliner sp. nov. , Janolus flavoanulatus Pola and Gosliner sp. nov., and Janolus incrustans Pola and Gosliner sp. nov.